The Rohan’s dairy and tillage farm is situated in countryside that looked lush and sprawling during Country Living’s visit. Shanahoe, Co Laois, was particularly glorious on that sunny June morning, which affirmed the idyllic nature of farming life.

The laughter and babbling of Julie (two) and Emily Rohan (one) filled the house with joy, but the underlying sorrow here symbolised the sinister side of farming. On this exact day (19 June) two years ago, Brian’s father Liam died in a farm accident, aged 74.

On that day, Liam Rohan was taking a silage swather apart.

“It was working 95%, but if it wasn’t 100% it had to be fixed,” explains Brian Rohan.

“That’s the sort of man he was, he was so careful. All we can work out is it came apart sooner than he expected. He was opening the bolt and it looked like the bolt should be much longer than it was. The rotar fell down and he got a bang on the side of the head.”

“We saw him walking up past the window, going in to Bridie for dinner,” relays Norma. “He was in his usual stride, not a bother on him.”

But 20 minutes later Liam was unconscious and rushed to Tullamore General Hospital. By half past three that day it was confirmed there was nothing they could do. An internal bleed caused a midline shift of the brain.

Liam Rohan was “big into Macra” and he was chairman “of nearly everything in the village apart from the Ladies Club and he didn’t qualify for that,” laughs Brian. Liam also represented Ireland four times in competition ploughing.

“I toured Wexford in the back of the tractor with him,” says Brian. “We’d get up on the tractor at 8 o’clock that night and head for home. I’d sleep in the back window.”

Brian has been reaching out for support since his father’s death, but couldn’t find any, which is why he set up Embrace – a support group for those affected by farm accidents.

One practical issue Brian faced after his father’s death was the transfer of the Single Farm Payment.

“There was a partnership arrangement that if one partner died the other would receive the payment,” explains Brian.

“I spoke to the Department in early October and I was told everything was in order, they had all the paperwork.”

However, Brian didn’t receive the payment until the Saturday before Christmas. Fortunately, Brian’s name was on the farm’s bank account. If it wasn’t, it may have taken anything from three to nine months before access was granted. One lady who contacted Embrace was not married to her partner and can’t access his assets because she’s not technically next-of-kin and there’s no will. She may have to wait until the eldest child is 18. Another lady lost her husband very young and is left to raise two young children and pay a heavy mortgage without a life policy.

“I know you can’t just change laws so people can access money,” notes Norma, “but you have a business where the sole person who operated that business is gone. It could be six to 12 months before access to the deceased’s bank account is sorted, so how can that business stay operating? Is there legislation that could be put in place which would facilitate a bridging loan for the estate?”

Another issue is the labour Liam provided on the farm. Brian, his brother John and father Liam were full-time farmers, milking 130 cows on their own 155 acres and 70 rented acres.

“I’d do all the milking, John would look after the calves and dad used do the feeding,” explains Brian. “During the first 12 to 14 months I just didn’t want to be here. My total love of farming was gone. Every morning dad would bring the cows into the milking parlour and for two months afterwards I’d keep looking in the door at nine. I lost a love for cows even, so John took over milking.”

Norma was seeing the toll that grief was taking on her husband.

“It was like he’d come in the door with a tonne of bricks on his back. He wasn’t coming out from it, he was stuck.”

Family support

When Brian asked Norma one evening to Google “suicide support” she was alarmed, but he simply wanted to investigate the difference in support available for families bereaved by suicide and those bereaved by farm accidents. When a Google search for “support for farm accidents” produced nothing, Norma was sent on a mission to find it.

“I called every agricultural and rural organisation that’s there, as well as Aware, Console and Pieta House. There was nothing, except a bereavement pack for general workplace accidents from the HSA. It shows how isolating farming can be,” says Norma.

So Embrace was born. The organisation’s first big event is a remembrance service on 29 June, in the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Abbeyleix at 2pm.

A farmer rugby player from every province will be present: Sean O’Brien, Rory Best, John Hayes and John Muldoon. The Taoiseach has been invited, while Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has said there’s no reason why he won’t be there. Local minister Charlie Flanagan will also be present. Siobhan Talbolt of Glanbia is taking part in the service and there will many other senior figures from the world of agriculture present. Many of these VIPs will be speaking in The Manor Hotel in Abbeyleix afterwards.

Brian and Norma have received a lot of local support for Embrace. Gill Fingleton of Penhouse Design did their graphics for free, Roger Jones provided the photography and Liam de Paor is helping with the PR. Torc Candles are sponsoring memorial candles.

“Our biggest appeal is for families to get in contact with us to tell us the names of their loved ones so we can read their names out on the day,” says Brian.

Call Embrace on 085-770-9966